The applicant father sought an order for alternating Christmas access with his daughter, including Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.
The respondent mother, who had sole custody, proposed that the father's access begin on Christmas Day afternoon every year to maintain consistency and family traditions.
The court held that the principle of maximum contact required both parents to have an equal opportunity to share the Christmas Eve and morning period.
The court ordered an alternating schedule for 2012 and 2013, with a request for Office of the Children's Lawyer involvement if the parties could not agree on a schedule for subsequent years.
